Shogun Assassin 3: Slashing Blades of Carnage 1972 AnimEigo   Buy It Now

Undoubtedly one of the most popular samurai’s ever to grace the screen in Japan, American, or anywhere else for that matter has returned once again to take up his blade. He is Ito Ogami, known by many for his heroic and bloody adventures in the Lone Wolf and Cub series. Along with his young son Daigoro, blood shed and violence has become a way of life and Shogun Assassin 3 has yet more exploits of a young boy and his ronin father.

Shogun Assassin 3 is the dubbed version of Lone Wolf and Cub: Baby Cart in Peril, the fourth film in the franchise. As many already know, the first two movies in the series were actually licensed for domestic release, then edited together in one film and re-released as Shogun Assassin. It’s very much the same trick seen in the 80’s with the Robotech series, only this time with samurai. Was there ever a Shogun Assassin 3 however? Well, not until now, and there are quite a few fans who love the dubbed version of the series, so why not simply give them yet another to appease them?

Ito Ogami (Tomisaburo Wakayama) has been requested to kill the deadly and beautiful Oyuki (Michie Azuma), an assassin who is remember by those lucky enough to survive and encounter with her by not only her deadly fighting style but her tattoos. Ogami however finds that enemies from the past, Yagyu Gunbei (Yoichi Hayashi) has sought him out seeking revenge, and others are in search of him hoping to finally but the man known as Lone Wolf in his grave at long last.

Why do people seem to love samurai cinema and Lone Wolf and Cub in particular? It’s a fairly simple thing to answer if you watch just one film. Lone Wolf excels at being over the top in just about every regard, and it starts from the beginning of the film as we are introduced to Oyuki who is seen fighting, breasts fully exposed to show off her tattoos (yeah, right) and they are soon splattered with blood. Okay, right there, boobs, blood, you have my attention.

Shogun Assassin 3 really could be thought of as being almost two separate films to some degree. While much of the film is spent with Ogami trying to obtain information regarding the whereabouts of Oyuki, we also see the past that has happened. We discover the truth as to why Gunbei was exiled from his clan and why ultimately this had made an enemy out of Retsudo Yagyu. Even Oyuki’s background is detailed, and she becomes something of a tragic figure; a woman who is seeking revenge and not simply out on a killing spree.

Things become more and more outrageous however in every fight sequence. Ogami has incredible moves that defy logic and gravity, something that is quite impressive for a samurai. Ninja, opposing swordsman and everyone else who is unfortunate to cross his path is quickly cut down and most of the time, Ogami makes very short work of them, ending his battles in just a couple of minutes. Add in severed limbs, some decapitations, and a great deal of neon colored, spraying blood that becomes an unbelievable fountain of gore and you can imagine the attraction. There’s also the unique “baby cart” that has just about every weapon you could think of hidden somewhere inside from swords to machine guns.

For a dub, Shogun Assassin 3 really isn’t half bad. The voice actors actually pronounce Japanese name, phrases and such correctly, and that’s always been something that has bothered me with just about every dub that is on the market, especially when you can listen to the Japanese track and hear the correct pronunciation, then here the English voice over being completely botched and butchered. The film has also been digitally remaster so the picture looks fantastic. The only thing is that I wish that this were a high definition transfer, but I’m sure that AnimEigo will jump on board the Blu-Ray train before too long.

Shogun Assassin does have a number of names and terms that are very specific to the Japanese culture, and AnimEigo has went to the length of preparing some liner notes accessible on the DVD to further explain these. There are many releases that have come out that neglect to do so, but AnimEigo has always been at the top of their game in this regard. There is also an image gallery and a collection of trailers of other live action cinema.

While I’m not a huge fan of dubs, AnimEigo has definitely done justice to this English version of Lone Wolf and Cub. Even if you’ve seen the film a hundred times in Japanese, you might find that this version is enjoyable to sit through and listen to. It may not be the authentic version of the film, but Shogun Assassin 3, and any of the Lone Wolf and Cub movies, seem to be just plain fun no matter what language they are seen in.

-mike-